Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar on Thursday said there is no space for war between two nuclear-armed states.
Addressing the media on the first anniversary of Operation Swift Retort, Maj Gen Iftikhar said the Pakistan Army is fully aware of the covert and overt operations carried out by the Indian armed forces.
“There is no space for war between two nuclear powers. Things can spiral out of control and no one would retain control over the escalation ladder. This is mutually assured destruction,” said the military spokesperson.
Referring to February 27, 2019, the major general said: “It was a bright chapter in the history of Pakistan.”
“Till this day, the armed forces have lived up to the expectations of the nation.”
“After the Pulwama incident, India blamed Pakistan. We offered all cooperation. But on Feb 26, they carried out a cowardly attack. We were prepared and the surprise they wanted to give to us, we gave it to them and they retreated,” said DG ISPR while referring to the botched Balakot airstrike and the retaliatory action carried out by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).
He maintained that India is attempting to distract the world from continuous ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC), adding that things can spiral out of control.
“We salute the bravery of all our soldiers that continue to fight bravely in front of the enemy.
‘Highest number of ceasefire violations in 2019’
Maj Gen Babar also elaborated on the ongoing ceasefire violations at the Line of Control (LoC) and said the year 2019 saw the highest number of violations – 385.
He said that the Pakistan Army is a professional fighting force and only targets military check posts when provoked, but the Indian armed forces continue to target innocent civilians.
“If there is a war in the region, there will be far-reaching consequences,” warned the spokesperson.
Referring to the draconian lockdown in occupied Kashmir, Maj Gen Iftikhar said Indian occupying forces are committing gross human rights violation in the region.
He continued that the longstanding Kashmir dispute is an international issue, and said the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also voiced concerns about the barbaric treatment of Kashmiri civilians by the Indian Army.
Maj Gen Iftikhar said resolving the Kashmir issue is part of the agenda and said there is no space for war amongst the two nuclear states.
War on terror
Maj Gen Iftikhar said the armed forces have fought a successful war against terrorism, with the help of the intensive nation-wide operation against terror groups, steered by Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa – Operation Radd ul Fasaad.
“17,000 terrorists were killed in the operation and more than 450 tonnes of arms and ammunition were seized,” he added.
He added that during the operations carried out against terrorism, more than 1,000 al Qaeda terrorists were either killed or arrested and Pakistan as a responsible member of the international community shared intelligence with more than 70 countries.
The major general lauded the sacrifices made by the Pakistan Army, and said, “We have sacrificed more than 80,000 lives and it cost the country $180 bn.”
Responding to a question about Afghanistan, DG ISPR said Pakistan welcomed the peace deal between the United States and the Taliban.
“There will be positive results from this deal. Nobody wants peace in Afghanistan more than Pakistan.”
“I don’t see any reasons for our relations with Afghanistan going sour,” he said further.
